I can't say that I have seen much in-depth review of Ueshiba in this regard outside of your articles, but it is very easy to find mono-dimensional, idealized or sanitized depictions of him in numerous "creditable" sources. Ernesto is right, these depictions are probably more than enough for many people, but I personally think it is unfortunate. I also don't think it is coincidence that the number of reader responses to the thread about doing aikido with dogs is far greater than the number of responses to your article, which deals with a much more important issue in aikido. Same reason a lot of people who don't usually bow to anyone because it is outside of their cultural context, but will bow frequently and even reverently to someone they know little about, and think nothing of it.

Respectfully,
John

Mr Brockington,

Many thanks for your mail and apologies for the late response. I have been reading Aikiweb, but have not been able to contribute to the forum until I returned to Japan.

From conversations with them, I found that some of the "credible" sources containing one-dimensional, idealized or sanitized depictions of the Founder of aikido were the uchi-deshi and other deshi themselves, who were as 'objective' and 'subjective' as the Gospel writers. This has not, of course, prevented historians from using these same gospel writers as sources (among others) for a more objective history of Christianity.

As for the Internet, well, one of the advantages is that anyone is free to post, but this advantage carries with it the initially plausible corollary that every post is worth reading. One has to work rather harder, to decide out for oneself the extent to which this is probable.